What You Need to Know About Local SEO

If you own a brick-and-mortar business or a service-based business that services people within a particular region, you know how important it is for people to be able to find your contact information quickly, especially online. Luckily, there’s a service for this: local SEO. It’s a strategy used to help increase the search visibility of businesses with physical locations. 

Why Local SEO is Important for Your Business 

Local SEO gives you the power to manage what appears when people search for your information online. When people receive incorrect information about your business, such as a phone number, business hours, or even address, it can reflect poorly on your business and, ultimately, hurt your reputation if it continues to happen. Suppose you update your website regularly, for example, but there are quite a few business directories that have the incorrect information listed. In that case, the incorrect data is prioritized because multiple sources are consistent. This can cause the wrong information to spread, making you harder to reach. 

Benefits of Local SEO 

There are many benefits to investing in local SEO, but we’ve included a few below. 

  1. Increases your visibility online 
  2. Increases your site traffic 
  3. Increases your foot traffic 
  4. Helps to build trust with your customers 
  5. Prioritizes small businesses over larger corporations

How Google My Business Fits into Local SEO 

If you’ve worked with an agency before, you’ve likely heard them reference GMB, or Google My Business. This is essentially your profile on Google. Information pulled from this profile is visible in the local pack—the list of businesses that pops up when you conduct a local search on Google, such as “digital marketing agency”—and Google Maps search results. It’s also what appears when people conduct a branded search for your business, like “Cosmitto.” 

Your GMB account houses useful information such as your product/service offerings, contact information, business hours, payment options, amenities, etc. Other elements of your GMB profile that’ll impact your digital presence are those you don’t have complete control over. This includes Google Reviews, Q&As, and subjective attributes, given to a business based on user responses. 

Increase Your Local Exposure with Cosmitto 

Keeping your GMB profile updated is a significant part of your local SEO efforts, but it isn’t everything. You also have to update all sources and business listings so that the correct information is prioritized and presented. We’ve only scratched the surface of what local SEO entails above! If you’re looking for more insight, we’re available to chat about our SEO services and the process behind our approach to improving your company’s digital presence! Learn more about what we offer, or contact us today to set up a call.